Tickets for texting while driving in NY are up sharply

View full sizeIn the year that it has been illegal for motorists in New York State to send text messages while driving an automobile, more than 20,000 drivers have gotten the word by receiving traffic tickets.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y -- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo marked yesterday, the one-year anniversary of the state's law to prevent distracted driving, by announcing that law-enforcement officials issued more than 20,000 tickets to motorists for texting-while-driving violations since the law took effect on July 12, 2011, four times more than the previous year.

On Staten Island, 205 tickets were handed out between July 12, 2011, and yesterday. That's up from the 157 tickets handed out between July 12, 2010, and July 12, 2011, an increase of 30.5 percent.

The law signed by the governor last year makes using a handheld electronic device for texting-while-driving a primary traffic offense, giving law enforcement the power to stop motorists solely for engaging in this activity.

Also, the penalty for using a handheld device while driving was increased from two to three points. In the year before the law was passed, New York law-enforcement officials issued 4,569 tickets for texting-while-driving violations.

Recent research has shown that motorists who use handheld electronic devices while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributed more than 3,000 deaths last year to distracted driving.